Pakistan march nears Islamabad

A convoy of Pakistani lawyers and activists is approaching Islambad for a protest outside parliament, demanding the reinstatement of judges fired by Pervez Musharraf, the president.   Supporters of Iftikhar Chaudhry, the deposed supreme court chief justice, regard his reinstatement as the first step in setting Pakistan on a path to democracy.

Nawaz Sharif, a leader in Pakistan's ruling coalition and a former prime minister, joined the convoy of vehicles on Friday.

He mingled with the lawyers at a rally in Lahore, saying "we won't let anyone sit in peace until the judges are restored".

Sharif's address in Lahore on Thursday was seen as a veiled criticism of Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and widower of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister who was assassinated last year.   "It is so sad and regrettable that even though we have democracy we are still demanding the restoration of the judges," Sharif said.  Imran Khan, Al Jazeera's correspondent, reporting from Gujar Khan, about 100km outside Islamabad, which is the federal capital, said that there was a revolutionary atmosphere surrounding the march.   "Every step of the way they have been giving speeches and picking up more people. They are convinced that what they are doing will restore the judiciary," he said